Pretend you are about to graduate with your bachelor's degree and want to get a master's degree be a school counselor. Complete the following directions accordingly.

• Five strongest skills to include are Hard working, Good listener, Work well with others, Inspire confidence in others, and Internally motivated.
• Three weakest skills to include are Think creatively, Quick to learn, and Flexible.

This project requires effort, thought, retrospection, and foresight. But the expenditure of energy is worth the effort. This is your life and your career (they do overlap - vocational psychology research shows that both the development of our personhood - and our career development do indeed mirror each other)

Section 1: Skills

This section, along with Traits (Section 2) and Values (Section 3) are most difficult and challenging component of the portfolio to prepare. Yet, they are the most important. Skills, Values, and Traits are the key variable and the foundation for resumes, personal statements, grad school/job applications, and interviews.

That's why we will focus so much time and effort on the preparation, feedback, and rewrites (if necessary). I recently had to prepare written and verbal versions of these components. So, you see, I do practice what I preach!

Skills, values, and traits checklists (Uploaded to BlazeVIEW)

As noted on each checklist for Skills, Personality Traits, and Values (SVT), respectively, you are tasked with selecting your perceived strongest and weakest personality traits, values, and skill-related characteristics. Then use the following as a guideline for this section. Read the following formatting instructions carefully! I will provide some ideal example of what is expected in this section from the work of students in previous semesters

How to Format Section 1: Skills: Please read these directions carefully. I have also uploaded an excellent formatting and writing example of skills written by a former Senior Seminar student to BlazeVIEW

At the beginning, the first thing that you do is to state your career goal with detail. For example, do not just say, "Counselor." Be specific! - DESCRIBE WITH DETAIL WHAT TYPE OF COUNSELOR - AND THE TASKS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SPECIFIC CAREER. Why is this important and useful? Stating and describing your future career (an/or grad school) goal helps to keep you focuses for applying the skills that you have selected to your future career.

Next, you will write a separate section for each of your selections of Skills - both stronger and weaker (improving) skills.

Within these discrete Skills sections, you must prepare a unique sub-section for each strong and weak selection. Label each section as "Strong" or "Weak" Skills. They must be organized and separate. Don't combine them into a single word salad section. Each skill (strong and weak) that you select is unique and stands on its own.

Be sure to label each strong (high) and weak (low) selection with a subheading

Please - do not write one continuous, on-going word salad paragraph.

In each sub-section (strong and weak) you first must LINK EACH STRONG AND WEAK SELECTION to YOUR FUTURE CAREER (OR GRAD SCHOOL - IF THAT IS A PRIMARY GOAL AT THIS TIME).

EXPLAIN HOW THESE "UNIQUE" CHARACTERISTICS OF WHO YOU ARE SPECIFICALLY RELATE TO (THAT IS, "FIT") AND ARE IMPORTANT FOR YOUR FUTURE JOB/CAREER (or graduate school).

DON'T BE VAGUE! and DON'T JUST LIST YOUR SELECTIONS!

After explaining how each strong and weak selection is important for and fits your future career, follow this up with CONCRETE REAL-LIFE example(s) which illustrates A. Your past or present real-life experience with that skill, and B. the relationships and importance of each selection for your future career.

Label this sub-section "Examples of...

In these sections, write a brief applied scenario narrative Paint a picture with your words - Tell a brief story! Don't just say, "being organized is important when dealing with clients" Instead describe this in 2-3 sentences. See the examples that I uploaded to BlazeVIEW as a guide.

WRITE 2 SCENARIOS DESCRIBING WHY EACH SELECTION IS IMPORTANT. USE THE MAGIC

PHRASE "FOR EXAMPLE..." TO ARTICULATE THIS. THE FIRST SCENARIO PERTAINS TO A

CURRENT AND/OR PAST JOB/EXPERIENCE THE SECOND SCENARIO IS WHERE

YOU APPLY THE SELECTION TO A PROSPECTIVE (FUTURE) CAREER (AGAIN, CHECK OUT THE

EXAMPLES UPLOADED TO BLAZEVIEW)

Why Is This Assignment Important?

You may be asked you talk or write about such hypothetical situations during an interview - as a way of demonstrating that you understand how to recognize and attempt to solve problems.

Thus, the future career application is important! This is also important because it increases your explanatory validity - and this shows that you know what you are talking about- and are not just dropping talking points. Also, avoid the use of jargon, clichs, euphemisms, and psychobabble. Write clearly, using plain and simple English.

Okay, I understand about my strong skills, but what about my weaker skills selections?

Remember that, despite being your weaker (needs improvement) selections, they are nonetheless important for your future career. So, please do the same thing that you did for your stronger selections. That is, explain their importance for your future career - and provide examples.

For those skills, values, traits that you rank yourself lowest (i.e., weakest), please address how you might go about remediating (improving upon) each one.

This is important because it demonstrates that you are aware of a possible deficiency - and are evolving, growing, and maturing in terms of your current and future professional development (which you are!). Think of this as a realistic objective to improve your ability, talents, and marketability.

But, as noted earlier, only select weaker skills, values, and traits that are specific and apply to your future career. Perhaps you feel that you are not a good dancer or very athletic. Well... that might be true - but is this really something that is important if your career goal is to become a marriage and family therapist or a psychiatric social worker?

PLEASE DO LABEL THIS SUB-SECTION FOR EACH WEAK SELECTION AS "REMEDIATION" or "IMPROVEMENT".